NASA STS-134 Report #28 Sunday, May 29, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
HOUSTON – Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final undocking from the International Space Station is the focus of attention today for the crewmembers on both vehicles after more than 11 days of joint docked operations.
Undocking of Endeavour from Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 is scheduled for 10:55 p.m., with Pilot Greg Johnson at the controls on the shuttle’s aft flight deck. He’ll maneuver the shuttle out in front of the station and then guide the vehicle to fly around the station so Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Drew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff can use cameras to gather updated information on its condition, before Johnson fires the jets to move Endeavour off behind the station.
From there Commander Mark Kelly will take over the controls to fly a re-approach to the station for a Detailed Test Objective known as STORRM (Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation). Feustel will monitor the sensors while Kelly flies the shuttle back to the vicinity of the station to test an automated docking system that uses a vision navigation sensor flash lidar and high definition docking camera; the system is being developed for use on future spacecraft. After STORRM is complete Kelly will fire the shuttle jets in a final separation maneuver.
Expedition 28 Commander Andrey Borisenko and Flight Engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Ron Garan are lightly scheduled so they can monitor the shuttle activities and conduct their daily exercise sessions before enjoying an extended sleep period to get themselves back on their regular schedule by Tuesday morning.
Today’s wakeup song at 6:27 p.m., “Slowness,” by the Tucson, Arizona-based band Calexico, was played for Kelly.
The next status report will be issued Monday afternoon or earlier if warranted.